You may have heard of the Rails to Trails program – where old railroad tracks are cleared away and replaced by paths for walking and biking. In Wolfeboro, as NHPR’s Sean Hurley tells us, the Cotton Valley Rail Trail Club has helped build something unique in the United States – a rail and trail multi-use path.

For years, advocates of commuter rail have pushed the idea of a passenger train connecting Boston with at Nashua and Manchester, and even possibly Concord. But commuter rail has always bumped up against one huge, seemingly immovable object: money. It's not cheap to build such a system, roughly two-hundred-million dollars - and so the argument has long been that it's just not worth it, given all the other priorities New Hampshire has, including roads and bridges that need repair. However, this year, supporters are continuing their efforts, bolstered by rising business backing in the Southern Tier. And just recently, they urged a House Committee to keep four million dollars in the state's transportation plan to fund rail study and planning.

A multi-year conflict between a Newington propane company and its neighbors comes to a head this week as state regulators decide whether the company can expand immediately, or must undergo a year-long evaluation.

On the surface, Planning Board and court decisions have favored the propane company. But opponents say despite apparent setbacks, they have succeeded in stalling the project, and extracting concessions.

A new report finds that extending train service from Boston to Manchester could provide big benefits: more jobs, higher property values, and enhancing the state’s overall attractiveness. Still, skeptics doubt the numbers, both in terms of the number of people who would get on board and how much money it would cost.

In her inaugural address last week, Governor Maggie Hassan made the push for extending commuter rail from Boston to Nashua and Manchester.

"We must find a consensus way forward on rail that will build on our many advantages and help set the stage for a new generation of economic growth by keeping more of our young people right here in the Granite State," Hassan said.

After failing to appeal the Newington Planning Board's decision to approve the propane company Sea-3’s expansion through that city's Zoning Board of Adjustment, a Portsmouth staff attorney says they will proceed to Superior Court.

In an unusual legal maneuver, the City of Portsmouth filed their appeal in the Superior Court in June. That appeal was stayed as the city pursued an appeal via Newington's ZBA.

In July, New Hampshire’s congressional delegation requested federal government provide an environmental impacts study. That request was denied on Tuesday.

Senators Jeanne Shaheen and Kelly Ayotte along with Congresswoman Carol-Shea Porter want to take a closer look at the potential environmental impacts of propane rail traffic through the Great Bay Estuary.

On Wednesday the Executive Council authorized a new rail study — one that examines whether to bring trains to Plaistow.

This study will cost far less than one approved earlier this year, for $3.9 million dollars to look at extending commuter rail from Lowell, Massachusetts to Nashua and then on up to Manchester and Concord.

New Hampshire is looking at whether to accept federal funds to once again study whether passenger and freight trains make sense for the state. But many of the same concerns are coming up again: that New Hampshire doesn’t have enough people who would ride the rails to justify the enormous cost. We'll revisit this debate.